A user may rely on a variety of techniques to share an item (such as a file) with other users. In one approach, for instance, the user may attach an item to an Email message. The user may then forward the Email message to the other users. If any user makes a change to the item, that user may manually forward the updated item to the other users via another Email message.
In another technique, a user may upload the item to file sharing functionality that is accessible to individuals within an organization. One such file sharing functionality is SharePoint®, provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. The user may also expressly specify permission information which defines the respective rights of users to access and modify the item. In addition, the file sharing functionality may require users to authenticate themselves prior to interacting with the file sharing functionality, e.g., by submitting respective user names and passwords.
Each technique for sharing items has its respective strengths and weaknesses. As such, in the context of certain environments, no single technique offers a wholly satisfactory solution.